LENOX>> Former Chittenango Police Chief Jeffrey Paul pleaded guilty Tuesday to two misdemeanor counts of second-degree offering to file a false instrument, in the town of Lenox Court.

On March 11, Paul, 53, of Canastota, was originally charged with two counts of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, a class E felony, following a March 7 search warrant executed by the Madison County Sheriff's Department at the Chittenango village offices, Chittenango Police Station and his private business, the Paul Funeral Home locations in Madison and Brookfield.

The felonies were reduced to misdemeanors in the plea agreement.

With the guilty pleas, Paul admits that he signed and submitted a false time sheet to the Madison County Sheriff's Department indicating he worked on Oct. 13, 2012 from 8:31 a.m. to 9:03 p.m. as a deputy sheriff, while evidence shows he was working as a funeral director at the same time.

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Further, he filed a time sheet saying he was working for the Chittenango Police Department on Sept. 10, 2012 from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. while conducting funeral services at the same time.

Paul was sentenced to pay $15,000 restitution to the Madison County Sheriff's Office.

He paid $10,000 at the time of his plea and the remaining restitution will be paid at a later date. As a condition of his guilty plea, he was also ordered to not apply for a job in law enforcement for at least a year, said Elizabeth Healy, Madison County Assistant District Attorney.

The case was initially set up for one count each to be handled in Lenox and Chittenango courts, and he was arraigned in Lenox for that charge.

However, in early April, Chittenango village judges recused themselves from the case because of a conflict of interest, after an arraignment in the matter was twice delayed in the village of Chittenango Court. The result being that both charges would be handled in town of Lenox Court.

The restitution being paid to the sheriff's office is for the Lenox charge. The village of Chittenango did not seek restitution, Healy said.